Spread spectrum communication systems are becoming increasingly popular, especially as the available frequency spectrum is becoming more and more crowded with users and uses. This is true in both commercial and military applications. Spread spectrum communication systems have numerous advantages over conventional communication systems. One advantage of these systems is the signal security provided. Unlike conventional systems, it is extremely difficult to eavesdrop on communications that take place using a spread spectrum communication system.
In military and other applications, spectrum supremacy is critical to maintaining superior communications within the communication environment. This will become even more important in future communication environments. In military applications, the communication environment may include battle space between adversaries, making spectrum supremacy a critical issue.
Three steps are key to achieving supremacy. First, the available spectrum should be used to maximal efficiency across the theatre. Second, communication systems ideally should be able to adapt rapidly to threats and environmental factors effecting robustness (e.g., jamming, enemy communications, etc.). Third, robust communication techniques need to be retained while achieving efficiency. For example, hopping and other anti-jamming (AJ) and Electronic Counter Counter Measures (ECCM) features should be maintained.
Frequency hopped tactical communications systems may strive to achieve efficient spectrum utilization through network coordination of spectral resources. Using these systems, the spectral resources are rapidly assigned when a communications need arises between given nodes, and then are rapidly released as the communications need subsides. This approach makes efficient temporal reuse of spectrum and channels. These channels are not just assigned one time across the network, but are reassigned multiple times simultaneously across the network achieving geographic reuse of the frequency spectrum (e.g., like a dynamic cell phone system). The system coordinates the assignment and allocation of these resources on a high performance low latency ad hoc network based on a control network. This control network distributes what channels are used and where, and uses the information to intelligently reassign the channels to nodes out of interference range of one another.
The communication channels provided by this type of system are frequency hopped robust communication channels providing fade and jamming tolerance through constant variation in center frequency. The channels are typically, but not necessarily always, allocated in an orthogonal manner (e.g., each frequency hopped channel is non-colliding with other frequency hopped channels), and all hopped channels are assigned out of a common frequency pool. For example if the system is supplied with 16 frequencies, it will create 16 frequency hopped channels within that assignment, and will then assign these many times across the communication environment or battle space.
Thus, frequency hopped tactical communication systems may in their base format have two key elements: 1) An ad hoc network enabling requests for communication services, and responsible for sharing of control, coordination, networking, and spectral usage data; and 2) A real time reconfigurable data transport channel providing communication services on frequency hopped patterns and waveform structures negotiated on the ad hoc network channel.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.